Category Archives: Model 3

2019 was the year electric cars grew up

December 16, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, Model S, Model X, News, Reviews and Comment, Sales, TeslaRepost

Electric cars had their biggest year ever in 2019, even as storm clouds gathered over their future.

The numbers were huge. Automakers committed $225 billion to electrification in the coming years. Electric vehicles (EVs) grabbed 2.2% of the global vehicle market over the first 10 months of 2019 as a slew of new models hit the road. Ford, which has yet to sell an all-electric vehicle, showed off the upcoming electric Mustang Mach-E (a crossover SUV) and an electric F-150 pick-up. Tesla, of course, shocked everyone by turning a profit and previewing a strange future with its “cybertruck,” potentially the Hummer for Millenials.

But it wasn’t all rainbows. Outside of China and Norway, where car buyers enjoy generous incentives, the market is still driven by early adopters rather than the mainstream. EV sales for the year have been sluggish. While some states such as California have seen EVs capture 8% of new sales (all-electric and plug-in hybrid), the rest of the country has not yet caught on. After doubling between 2017 and 2018, EV market share in the US had crept up from 1.6% last March to 1.8% a year later (pdf).

That hasn’t slowed automakers’ ambitions. They’re betting it’s better to get ahead of the now-inevitable shift to EVs than play catch up to established rivals and Tesla. But if demand fails to pick up the big bet may mean consolidation and bankruptcy for some.

Here are the highlights from 2019.

EVs sold even as the car market dipped. The Model 3 can claim most of the credit.

The year started off strong for electric cars. After selling a record 361,000 EVs in 2018, automakers foresaw a robust 2019. Yet for carmakers not named Tesla, sales sputtered out mid-year. Sales for the three dozen or so other EV models on the market declined by an about 20% in 2019 compared to a year earlier, while Tesla’s Model 3 sales tripled between January and September. Tesla represented an astonishing 78% of US EV sales as of October, estimated CleanTechnica, delivering about 123,000 Model 3s, and 30,000 Model S and Model X vehicles. But EVs proved to be a rare bright spot amid what appears to be a long-term decline in global auto sales now entering its third year, what industry analysts call “peak car.”

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BMW’s Tesla Model 3 Fears Are Already Happening

November 27, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Model 3 owners are ditching BMWs.

Tesla’s production delays surrounding the Model 3 may have caused headaches for investors, anxious customers, and even CEO Elon Musk, but those days appear to be over. The era of the Model 3 is underway and the all-electric sedan continues to be a phenomenal success. A fascinating new study from Bloomberg has gone into depth about not only the EV sedan’s sales success but, equally important, who is buying them and what brand is suffering the most from the Model 3’s success.

One important fact: no other sedan in America is generating more revenue right now than the Model 3.

Costing around $50,000 on average, the Model 3 continues to significantly dent BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class sales by outselling them both. Bloomberg asked 5,000 Model 3 owners questions about their previous cars and, interestingly, whether or not they’d buy them again. Which makes and models did these Model 3 owners trade-in?

Examples include the Honda Accord and Civic, Toyota Camry, and the Mazda 3. But the greatest percentage of the Model’s total sales came from former BMW drivers, as the responses indicate. Tesla, amazingly, has succeeded in breaking so-called brand loyalties in a record period of time. Often times, brand loyalties are passed down from generation to generation. But thanks to continued hype, Musk constantly being in the news (for better or worse), and environmental concerns, drivers from various backgrounds and incomes want to try something new.

“I’ve owned three BMW 3 Series and was a diehard BMW fan,” one Model 3 owner responded. “The Tesla blows those cars away.” Not everyone can afford a BMW, but the Model 3 is still affordable enough for many mainstream buyers. “I’m not rich, I’m an ordinary man with an ordinary job. I am exactly the buyer Elon Musk hoped to attract,” another owner responded. Tesla does not even spend money on advertisements, relying instead on product events, social media, and referrals.

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Electric cars with the longest range

November 18, 2019Audi, e-tron, Electric Cars, EQC EV, Hyundai, I-PACE, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Kona Electric, Mercedes, Model 3, Model S, Model X, News, Reviews and Comment, Niro EV, Renault, Soul EV, Tesla, ZOERepost

EV range is a hot topic right now so we’ve listed the new electric cars with the longest range you can buy now…

The first question most people have when a new electric car comes out is how much range it has. ‘Range anxiety’ is a phrase often thrown around to describe the fear EV owners could face when driving their electric car with a level of remaining battery charge that may not get them to their destination. As a result, there’s a certain kudos attached to the electric cars with the longest range as well as a valuable competitive advantage manifested as electric car buyers are attracted to them. If you’re wondering which electric car has the longest range, you can find out below.

Manufacturers have quickly realised the importance of range to existing petrol or diesel car owners and now some electric cars can travel just as far on a single charge as an internal combustion engined (ICE) equivalent can manage on a full tank – all the while producing zero emissions at a cheaper running cost to the owner. The fact that most drivers will very rarely travel the kind of distances in a single day that would deplete a modern electric car’s battery is seen as less important than the need to reassure motorists considering the switch to the new technology.

There’s no doubt that the UK’s charging infrastructure still remains a stumbling block for electric cars and their owners. Charging points are increasing in number across the country and charging times are dropping but the chargers that there are are still often in use compounding the fact that recharging an EV is still noticeably slower than filling up a petrol or diesel vehicle.

With increasing investment from the Government and charging infrastructure providers to improve EV charging options coupled with the appeal of emission-free motoring and cheaper running costs than ICE vehicles, electric cars are more appealing than ever. Manufacturers too are in a race to develop enhanced batteries and electric car technology that will increase the range available in electric cars to the point that range anxiety will become a thing of the past.

Elon Musk’s Tesla Model 3 wins Car of the Year along with three other awards

November 7, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Tesla’s smallest and cheapest car was the UK’s third best-selling model in August and was the first electric vehicle to make the top 10 best sellers

The new Tesla Model 3 has picked up four awards – including Car of the Year – in a string of major industry accolades for the new electric model.

Tesla’s smallest and cheapest car was the UK’s third best-selling model in August – the first time an electric vehicle (EV) has made the top 10 best sellers.

The battery-powered saloon is proving to be a critical success for Elon Musk’s American company.

It scooped prizes for Best Electric Car and Best Company Car, along with the Safety Award and overall Car of the Year top prize at the Parkers New Car Awards 2020.

Experts at Parkers, the UK’s biggest new car buying and advice website, were impressed with the Model 3, calling it “capable, likeable and extremely good to drive.”

You can now compare running costs for electric and petrol cars

November 4, 2019Electric Cars, Kia, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Niro EV, Renault, Sales, Tesla, ZOERepost

The figure – dubbed ‘miles per pound’ (mpp) – reveals how much a car can travel for £1 of petrol, diesel or electricity.

Electric cars travel up to three times the distance of their petrol or diesel rivals for the same amount of money, according to research.

With interest in electric cars rising, many potential buyers are left confused by the way running costs are explained, with ‘miles per kWh’ difficult to compare to ‘miles per gallon’.

To help consumers, car reviews and advice website Parkers.co.uk has developed a way of showing how far your car will go on a single pound – regardless of what fuel it runs on.

The figure – dubbed ‘miles per pound’ (mpp) – reveals how much a car can travel for £1 of petrol, diesel or electricity.

The study found the Kia e-Niro First Edition and the Renault Zoe 65kW are the most efficient models on sale in the UK today, with the cars capable of travelling 33.1 miles per pound (mpp) of electricity.

This is more than three times as far as the most economical version of the Ford Fiesta (9.3mpp), the UK’s best-selling vehicle, when using official testing figures.

With the average UK motorist driving around 7,150 miles per year, they would spend just £216 over a 12 month period if they charged their Kia e-Niro or Renault Zoe from home.

The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range was the third most economical, covering 32.3mpp, while the Volkswagen e-Golf was fourth on 30.8mpp.

The best electric cars you can buy in 2019

November 2, 2019Electric Cars, Hyundai, I-PACE, Jaguar Land Rover, Kona Electric, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Turn on, plug in and drop out of the fossil fuel race with the finest zero emissions passenger cars currently on offer

Traipse around one of the recent European motor shows and you’d be forgiven for thinking that most of the world’s most famous manufacturers don’t produce or sell an internal combustion engine any more.

The major players have spoken and the future of personal transportation looks distinctly battery powered, with Deloitte predicting worldwide sales of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) will rocket from 4 million in 2020 to 21 million by 2030, whereas sales of traditional internal combustion engines will fall off a cliff.

There are political and ethical arguments around for instance, lithium mining for EV batteries but this isn’t quite the right place to get into it.

Zero emissions vehicles boast a number of benefits that can be enjoyed today. There are fewer moving parts, meaning lower maintenance costs, the tax breaks and Congestion Charge benefits are extremely generous, while those with regular short journeys could save bucket-loads of cash by turning their backs on the humble petrol station. And don’t be misled by those bemoaning the public charging network, because a quick scan of Zap Map reveals an abundance of locations to charge a vehicle – a number that is growing by the day.

On top of this, those who have already made the switch to electric often attest to the fact that installing a charging point at home often negates the need to use the public charging network. After all, when was the last time you drove more than 200-miles several times in a week?

Tesla Model 3 was UK’s No 3-selling car in August

September 21, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

The Tesla Model 3 was the No. 3-selling new car in the UK in August, finishing behind the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Golf.

It’s the first time a full-electric car has been in the UK’s overall ranking of top 10 selling models.

The UK is Europe’s second-largest car market after Germany.

With sales of 2,082 Model 3s, the Tesla model was ahead of the Ford Focus at No. 4 and the Mercedes-Benz A class, which rounded out the UK top five last month.

The success of Tesla’s smallest model pushed the UK’s electric car sales up by 337 percent in August to 3,147 units. The overall UK market was down 2 percent.

The record was hailed by European green lobby group Transport & Environment. “Tesla Model 3 was the third best-selling car of any brand. Reminder: We are in 2019, not 2025…” the group tweeted.

The Model 3 was Europe’s best-selling electric car in the first six months with sales of 37,227, figures from market researcher JATO Dynamics show. The Renault Zoe was second at 23,914 followed by the Nissan Leaf.

Renault Zoe Wins In July, But Tesla Model 3 Remains 2019 Leader

September 2, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Tesla, ZOERepost

The European passenger plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market had some 36,000 registrations in July, +32% year over year (YoY). That means the PEV market has grown 34% in 2019, a great performance considering this is an off-peak month for Tesla.

In July, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) continued nosediving (-19% YoY), all-electrics (BEVs) almost doubled (+90%) to some 24,000 units, responsible for 67% of all plug-in sales last month, 66% year to date (YTD). The BEV share was at 1.9% by itself. Adding PHEVs to the tally, the share climbs to 2.8%. The 2019 PEV share is now at 2.9% (2.0% for BEVs alone), above the 2.5% result of 2018.

The big news in July was that the Renault Zoe profited from the expected Tesla off-peak month, winning another monthly trophy, its 4th this year. The French hatchback and Tesla Model 3 have divided all the monthly wins this year (January, April, May, July for Renault, and February, March, June for Tesla).

We could say that the Tesla Model 3 and the Renault Zoe are the first big players in Europe, the former dominating the more expensive end of the market and the latter sweeping up the lower end of it.

With Tesla starting to deliver the Model 3 SR/SR+ versions by now and Renault expected to double the Zoe’s output with the upcoming restyling, do not expect the current status quo to change much, or at least until the VW ID.3 starts to deliver in large volumes, expected by Q2 2020.

First UK Tesla Model 3 deliveries handed over to customers

July 11, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

The Tesla Model 3’s arrival in the UK has been anticipated for a long time now. The US brand promised it would be an affordable alternative to both conventionally powered and electrified models from other manufacturers, but a number of issues delayed its delivery to some global markets, the UK not least among them.

Finally, though, the wait for British customers is over, with the first UK customer cars being driven off dealer forecourts around the country last week by buyers who put their deposits down two to three years ago.

Tesla is confident enough in the quality of the Model 3 that it’s giving customers a one-week grace period, at any point during which they can give the car back for a full refund. This goes some way towards explaining why a large number of people were happy to commit to buying a car they had never even seen in the metal, let alone driven.

Everyone wants to lease a Tesla Model 3

June 22, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Leasing company says 3 is more popular than Jag’s I-Pace and the Audi e-Tron

You lot are all desperately trying to get your hands on Tesla Model 3s. Because why wouldn’t you be – it’s a rather nice thing, after all.

It’s so nice, in fact, Leasing.com tells us that in May, it had more enquiries for the Model 3 in the space of one week than it did for “premium rivals” like the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-Tron over the whole month.

The only electrified car that garnered more interest last month was the Toyota RAV4. One place back in the website’s league table is the Hyundai Ioniq, then the Toyota C-HR. The I-Pace is back in 5th, while the e-Tron is down in 7th. Of the non-electric/hybrid stuff, it’s the Mercedes A-Class that’s the most popular, with Mercedes being generally the most popular manufacturer.